


Austin 14 - A Jack Frost fiction

by RavenofOld



Series: Jack Frost - Austin [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 07:46:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/671989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenofOld/pseuds/RavenofOld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Frost comes across a teen named Austin during his travels and the two of them have a discussion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Austin 14 - A Jack Frost fiction

**Austin, 14  
A Jack Frost Rise of the Guardians Fanfic**

Jack Frost drifts through the city park lazily on his back; this cold cloudless night feeling especially perfect to him as he goes about his work.  
With a touch of his shepherd's staff he can cause frost to appear on the trees, or he can freeze over even the most stubbornly unfrozen of surfaces just by standing on them and if he wants he can bring about snow in ways ranging from a barely noticeable snowfall to a raging whiteout.

Jack is a Guardian, one of those chosen to protect and ensure the happiness and wellbeing of the children of the world. His main task is to help spread the wonder and fun of winter, which is why he was here in this park. While it had been snowing in the city he wants to make the extra effort to bury the park, to freeze the pond, to really give the children something truly amazing tomorrow, seeing as he has already ensured that they would have a snow day away from school.  
With a joyous laugh and a trail of snow behind him Jack begins to dance among the trees.

Austin hugs his knees closer to his chest, his clothing soaked, his body numb from the cold and wet but he doesn't care.  He loves the feeling of numbness, he loves the gentle caress of the cold as it calms and soothes him.  
He can feel winter lulling him to sleep, and how he wants to sleep! To fall asleep and let all his problems fade into memory; though he is quite certain that when others honour him in his memory they won't focus on any of the problems there were. No one ever does…

The sound of wind howling through the trees attracts the young man's attention. Though there was no wind anywhere else, there seemed to be quite the whirling dervish storming down one particular path.  
Austin smiles a bit despite himself; moments like these always manage to stir his heart and allow it to momentarily rise from the mire of his life for a few brief light hearted beats.  
As the dervish caught up to where he is snuggled against his tree he looks up, opening himself up to the experience. Oh how he loved the handy work of… "Jack Frost!"

Jack screeches to a halt and looked around, he hadn't expected anyone to be out here so late. Ok that wasn't true, he was sure there would be someone about, in the modern world there is always someone about but not a child.  
Looking down finally he spots the boy, snuggled up against the base of a tree, partially covered in snow. A little embarrassed at being seen unexpectedly he smirks; "Uhh, yeah that's me. You can see me?"

Austin nods, as wide eyed and slack jaw as the cold, tired muscles of his face would allow him to be.  Jack would continue to smile as he floats down, though the smile is accessorized with concern; "A little late to be out here isn't it?"  
Austin looks down once more and shrugs heavily, "Is it? I wouldn't know I don't know what time it is."

Getting a closer look Jack could see that this child is in the process of possibly becoming quite ill. He leans on his staff, concern now heavy on his face. "How long have you been out here?"  
Austin looks away, "What does it matter?"  
"If you're out here too long you could end up quite ill, or worse."  
"What does that matter?" Austin would look to Jack, his eyes neutral and as flat as his tone. Jack is so taken aback by the response that he falls back into a sitting position on the ground in front of Austin and reflexively brings his knees up to his chest in a similar fashion as the child has.  
He wants to say it mattered but there is something about the sad language of the child's body that causes him to decide to take another approach instead. "What's your name?"  
"Austin."  
"Hello Austin, I'm Jack Frost and I have to say I didn't expect to be talking to you this evening."  
Austin smiles a little. "I defiantly can say the same thing though I never expected to talk to you ever! Let alone tonight..."  
Jack smirks confidently again, normally kids freak out when they see him and while this quiet reaction was new and a nice change of pace there was something deep inside him that believed that Austin is indeed freaking out to the best of his capability.

"I think you have snow in your pocket."  
Austin looks down at the pockets of his dark blue, fading denim jacket and nods. Reflexively brushing snow off the outer thigh sides of his jeans he replies. "I think I have snow in all my pockets."  
"You must be getting incredibly cold."  
Austin shakes his head and Jack notices that the frosty looking mop of hair on Austin's head doesn't really move like it naturally should.  
"I stopped being cold a while ago."  
In the last 300 years of roaming Jack had witnessed many things, both great and tragic. The hair? That is a bad sign, a sign that unless he does something this will become another tragic event that he will have witnessed.  
He could simply hook his staff under the collar of Austin's coat and drop him off at a hospital but there is something about the idea that says it won't help. He has to convince Austin to go to the hospital himself, or head home at the very least. "So Austin, how old are you?"  
"Fourteen."  
Jack nods, there had to be a question that would get Austin to open up a bit more. His eyes look down from one corner of his vision to the other as he thinks. He has to stop himself from saying 'Ah ha!' when a new spark of inspiration ignites. "So, only those that really believe in me can see me; let alone talk with me. Where did you hear about me from?"  
After enough long, silent moments to make Jack start to doubt if his question had been half as clever as he thought it was Austin finally respondes. "My grandmother.  
She used to sit me on her lap; we would wrap up in a massive quilt and look out the big windows of her bedroom over the winter countryside.  
She would tell me all about Jack Frost, who is as real as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus but had a lot of lonely, never ending work to do.  Always making sure everything was perfect, and that winter acted accordingly. She would also use to warn me about not being a trouble maker like you apparently were. She seemed to believe you would get into a lot of mischief both intentional and accidental."

Jack would look away and scratch at the back of his neck with a single finger. "Maybe a time or two…"

Austin's small smile blooms into a full and proper grin. "It must be a lot of fun to be you."  
"At times, though there were lots of lonely times where it was just me because no one believed enough in me to notice me."  
"I wish I could live like that."  
Before he can stop himself Jack blurts out; "Why? It's horrible!"

Austin shrugs; "No one believes in me, and I still get noticed. I would rather not be."  
"Why wouldn't you want to be noticed?"  
Austin looks away in one direction then another as he tries to find the words but keeps coming up short. Eventually he gives up and in a defeated tone states, "You wouldn't understand…"

Jack moves so that he is once more making eye contact with Austin but Austin looks away, after two more attempts at eye contact by the Guardian Austin finally relents and meets eye to eye with Jack. Jack looks into the faded green eyes of Austin and softly says; "Try me."

 

Austin stares without words but says volumes as his eyes water. Jack can hear a sound coming from him, sounding as if the words are physically trying to claw their way free from past his lips. "I play baseball, in the spring and summer…  
My father comes to the games, and he brings business associates to watch us play while talking work."  
Austin harrumphs, "It may seem silly I know, but image means a lot at my dad's company If I appear successful, then he appears successful apparently. If I do bad then it looks like he has done a bad job with me, and as such people don't trust him to do a good job for them.  
That's how he explains it to me. If I make an error or have a bad day at the plate…if I'm lucky and there is another game soon or school or something he just screams at me and throws things. If there are a few days of downtime, he grounds me."  
Jack shrugs, "I know being grounded is no fu-"  
"It gives the bruises time to heal up enough to not bother me or be noticeable in public."

Jack pulls back his upper body and looks around on the ground, searching frantically to see if his lost words somehow would just be laying there. "I…he…you…HOW CAN HE DO THAT?! He's your father!"

Austin shrugs again, and makes himself small once more by re-pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them. "He only wanted me because of that whole family image. Only people with families to support, to photo opt and to show off warrant managerial jobs.  
He had me; he got promoted and now all I have to do is make sure I don't screw up in a visible way. Though I always screw up, apparently incapable of getting anything right."  
"DON'T SAY THAT!"  
"Why not? He does."  
Jack would deflate a little; "When he doesn't think you're listening?"  
Austin shakes his head, "No, to me. He doesn't talk about me to others unless they bring it up first or I have done something he can use to show off."

Jack would be up in an instant, his anger, his outrage no longer allowing him to sit still. He hovers about the ground and makes a couple of small, tight circles and lets out a cry of frustration. Half way through the third circle he stops, and twists around to face Austin again. "What about your mother? What does she say about this?"

Austin looks up to Jack and renews his smile, Jack is currently upside down at a forty-five degree angle and doesn't seem the least bit bothered by it. "Nothing."  
Jack rights himself and touches down onto the ground once more, leaning on his staff. "I don't believe that."

"Doesn't stop it from being true." Austin says with a bitter sharpness he doesn't mean to apply. Quickly he scrambles mentally, hoping that he hasn't offend Jack. "I...I didn't mean…sorry…"

Jack reaches down and places a reassuring hand on Austin's knee. "It's alright, I've heard worse."  
Austin stares at the hand and shivers a little from the cold it brings. With a hard swallow he continues. "My mom got married because she was the only unmarried sibling in her family. She wanted to have me because she was the last childless sibling in the family."

Jack goes to say something but clamps his jaw shut; Austin smiles and nods, answering the question that hadn't been asked. "Yeah, she told me. Honesty is very important to my parents as long as it doesn't happen when those they care about knowing the truth are present."  
Jack turns away once more, striking the butt of his staff into the ground, sending out a web of frost patterns onto the ground and over most of one of Austin's Caterpillar boots. He looks back and exhales in frustration when he sees the designs on the boot. "Sorry."  
"It's ok." Austin would adjust himself so he can stare at the patterns, wonderment pulls at his facial features showing Jack that yes, this solemn little boy is actually as young as he claims to be. "So cool!"

"I have to ask, was that pun intended?"  
Austin blushes a little and giggles despite himself. "Which answer will make me appear to be more clever?"  
Jack starts to float horizontally, and casual appears to be checking his nails. "I don't know. I think that question makes you appear clever enough on its own."  
Austin upgrades his little giggle into a soft chuckle.

"So Austin…" Jack continues trying to be as casual as possible, if he applies no pressure in asking the next question hopefully Austin won't feel any pressure answering it. "…how did you end up out here?"  
"Well I got suspended today because I beat someone up; both my mom and my dad flipped." Austin pushes up his sleeve to show his forearm which is so badly bruised the center of it looks almost yellowish pink. Jack goes in to take a closer look but Austin pulls the sleeve back down too quickly to allow a closer inspection.  
Jack's blood is just boiling now, but he has a duty to do and though it is exceptionally hard to do he pushes it back down for now to focus on Austin.  
"So I ran out of the house, came here and have been here ever since."  
"When are you thinking of heading home?"

Austin shakes his head, "Wasn't planning on it."  
"Planning on running away then? Show them that they care about you afterall and are just being stupid?"  
Austin shakes his head, "I planned on sitting here until…until I fell asleep and it didn't matter anymore."

Jack just stares at Austin, uncomprehending, his mind working very hard to not let the meaning of that statement turn over and connect properly.

Tears start to fall from Austin's eyes though they don't get too far before they run out of steam and cease to be. When you get too cold acts like crying try the body much harder than normal, it is very harder to do them successfully.  
"You don't know what it is like to be me. Always yelled at, always being hit, punished for being truthful…punished for succeeding when I needed to do more than succeed.  
Oh you only made the honour roll twice this year Austin, why do we even put up with you if this is how you're going to repay us!  
Austin, having a two game batter's slump…you're starting to no longer be a return on the investment. Get this straightened out, you owe us for everything we've poured into you!  
We have to put up with you; the least you can do is straighten up and fly right! So what if that bully tried to cut your eye with an knife for the fourth time, you had no right to get suspended! How will this look to the rest of the family!  
You know what maybe we should have them over this weekend for a big dinner, and we can all share in our continual disappointment of you Austin…"

Austin starts to sob but it quickly turns to painful dry heaves due to the cold air and his worn down system.  
"Hey…hey! It's ok, everything will be ok…What about your friends? Or teachers? Or other family? There has to be someone who can help you?"

Austin wipes at his face. "I don't have friends outside of school, not really allowed to and as for everyone else when I try to talk to people they just cut me off. How lucky I am, I have a roof over my head and food in my belly, how can I have problems?  
Am I really so spoiled that I always have to try to make it about me? Things like that."

"And they suspended you from school for defending yourself? Didn't you tell them what happened?"  
Austin nods, "He got suspended too, and charged…but everyone involved in a violent incident, who acted in a violent manner gets suspended. It's the rules."

Jack is nearly beside himself, this is all so crazy, so…and what can he do about it? He is supposed to be a Guardian but how can he help protect Austin?  
Drawing on his center, the core of what made him a Guardian Jack gains an idea. 

"Austin I can't help protect you from them…I'm sorry."  
Austin looks shattered but nods, "I didn't expect you could. I…I hoped you would be able to help me but, but I don't know what I was expecting you to be able to do."  
Jack gives Austin his most confident and cocky grin yet; "I never said I wasn't able to help you."  
The boy looks confused but hopeful.  
"Come on now Austin, stand up."

Austin tries to stand up but the ache and cold in his body makes it really hard for him to. Jack offers the hook of his shepherd's staff to Austin, and when Austin grabs it he pulls the boy up to his feet. "There you go. Alright…do you trust me?"  
Austin nods.  
"Great! Now I need you to run at the pond and don't stop."  
Austin would look at the pond, at Jack then back at the pond. "Uhhh…the ice looks really thin."  
"I thought you trusted me."  
"I do. It's just-"  
Jack gives an exaggerated wave of his arm, "Start running then!"  
Austin stands there for a moment, hesitating, as his body quivering a mixed language of cold, fear and excitement. Then he is off, in the best run his body can muster through the conditions on the inside and out. As he approaches the pond edge his mind wants to slam on the breaks and not do this, but Austin trusted Jack. Besides if it was all a trick, won't he end up how he wanted to anyways?

Just as his foot is going to touch down on the pond's semi-frozen surface Jack lets out a torrent of energy that freezes the pond solidly enough for it to be safe. After a few steps Austin stops running and rides his momentum out onto the ice behind the energy wave. Laughing loudly now, he is caught up in a moment of sheer joyous fun.

The young teen finally comes to a stop out near the center of the pond, looking around quickly he startles when he finds Jack standing behind him.  
"That was awesome!"  
Jack laughs; "Glad you like it. I think I've made my point."  
No sign of comprehension can be found on Austin at this moment as he asks the clarifying question. "What point?"  
"That at times life will be bad, and I mean really bad... But! And I do mean but; there will be truly great moments ahead for you too."  
"Like this one?"  
Jack nods, "Like this one. You just have to make sure you are there to experience them and you are whole enough to enjoy them."  
"That's gonna be hard."  
Jack put a hand on Austin's shoulder; Austin doesn't shiver at the touch. A testament to how cold he truly is now. "I know…but you have made it this far on your own and now you will have help."  
"Help?"  
"I will visit whenever I can, you and I…we will have some fun and I'll show you all sorts of cool stuff. How does that sound?"  
"Why?"  
Not the answer Jack was expecting, it causes him to have a stumble in his stride of success. "Why what?"  
"Why bother?"  
Taking a deep centering breath Jack replies, "Because it is important, and the least I can do. I only wish I could do more but there are some…people…I have to talk to first before being able to promise more."  
Austin's head tilts to the side a little, "More? The idea that Jack Frost will come visit me…that you have talked to me…do you realize how much that is?"

Jack nods though internally no, he doesn't realize how much this is, for him it is such a little thing. It can be truly amazing how big or small something seems just based on where you're looking from.  
"So Austin will we have a deal? You get yourself home…don't worry I'll help." Jack adds with a wink before continuing. "And I promise to see you as soon as I can to help remind you of the fun you have waiting ahead of you, to give you someone to talk to and to help you make it through the bad times. Alright?"  
Jack extends his hand; Austin firmly grasps it and gives it a shake before pulling it back and rubbing it together with his other one to generate a bit of warmth. "Alright."

"Great! Now let's get you home and see what trouble we can get into on the way!" Jack nearly shouts with a laugh. Austin can't help but join in with the laughter.  
Maybe, just maybe things will be better for him despite it all, with Jack Frost as a friend can the bad really get that bad?


End file.
